Bed-comfort



Y NITED STATES PATENT Orrice.

CHARLES D. MURDOOK, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

BED-COMFORT, BLANKET, RUG,-&.c.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 253,484, dated February '7, 1882. Application filed November 28, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

I Be it known that I, CHARLES DAVID MUR- DOCK, acitizen of the United States of America, residing at Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bed- Oomforts, Blankets, Bugs, and Analogous Articles; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention consists in certain improvements, as hereinafter described and claimed, in the manufacture of bed-comfortables, blankets, rugs, and analogous articles.

The usual way and that most commonly practiced in manufacturing bed comfortables has been to place cotton batting between two sheets of suitable material composing the envelope, then quilt the envelope and inclosed batting together, and finally sew the edges of the coverorenvelopetogether. Anothermeth- 0d of filling comforts has been to spread and pack cotton evenly between a framing composed of slats or bars, then place such frame with the inclosed cotton between the two pieces of material to form the envelope, and then gradually draw out-said frame, after which the cotton and envelope are quilted together and the edges of the envelope stitched together.

According to my improvement I take the requisite amount of calico or other desired material to form the covering or article to be produced, be it a comfort, horse-blanket, rug, or analogous article, and sew the breadths together at each of their four edges, with the exception that at one end I leave an open space, say,in a'comfort, of about ten or twelve inches. In smaller articlessuch as cushionsthis space would be proportionately smaller. I then take ordinary cotton that has been passed through a picker, (and the commonest grade of cotton, selling at about two and a half cents per pound, can be used,) and pass it through said opening into the bag-like envelope. For a comfort of ordinary size I would use about three or four pounds of such cotton but of course for mattresses it would require more; but the quantity necessary could easily be determined in each instance. After a sufficiency of cotton has been inserted I then sew up the opening through which it has been passed, and place the article upon a stand, table, or other suitable flat surface. I then whip or beat the comfort or other article until the cotton therein is perfectly level and evenly distributed throughout the article. The whole operation of filling and beating the cotton therein smooth does not, I find in practice, occupy more than ten minutes time.

Any suitable device or devices may be used for the purpose of beatiu g the cotton and leveling it within its inclosing-envelopc; but I prefer to use two heaters, one, which is used first, being about six feet long and about onehalf to one inch thick. Then, after the cotton has become somewhat smooth, I use another, preferably of gutta-percha, and lighter than the first one, and having three prongs, with which I am enabled to lay or bat the cotton very smoothly and evenly in the cascn1ore smoothly and evenly than cotton batting would be were it inclosed in the same covering. Having beaten the cotton flat and smooth, I lay the comfort orother article upon a quilting-frame or other suitable support, and quilt it by hand or machine, as found most convenient or desirable.

By this process it will be seen that I dispense entirely with the use of cotton batting, and, as I can use in lieu thereof the cheapest grade of picked cotton, costing only two and a half cents per pound, a great saving in the cost of material is effected, while at the same time I am enabled to secure a more even and uniformly distributed filling than is possible where batting is used.

Comforts constructed according to the method hereinbefore described can be produced very rapidly. One man and one woman can make from two and a halt to three dozen per day. A great saving of time and labor is thus effected by my process.

The method herein described is equally applicable to the manufacture of horse-blankets,

rugs, and other analogous articles where a lining or stuffing is inclosed between two outer sheets or pieces of material forming the envelorifice, and finally beating the cot-ton smooth ope or top and bottom of the article. within the covering and quilting the whole to- Having thus described my invention, What I gether, substantially as specified. claim as new therein is- In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 5 TheheIein-described method ol'manufacturpresence oftwo witnesses.

ing bed-comforts, blankets, ru and analo- 2+: 4 1 gons articles, consisting in first joining the (JHARLLS MULDOLK' edges of the outside material, with the excep- Witnesses: tion ofa single orifice, then stnffing'the article CHAS. J. GOOOH,

10 with raw c0tt0n,then sewing up the receiving- RUDOLPH NEWTOF. 

